CRUSADER-PERIOD CERAMICS FROM THE KNIGHTS’ HOTEL SITE, ‘AKKO

The Crusader-period ceramic assemblage unearthed in the Knights’ Hotel site in ‘Akko contains a large variety of daily wares. The assemblage consists of local and imported wares from various regions, some of which were identified through petrographic analysis. The imported wares indicate trade connections with Mediterranean port cities, and the petrographic analysis identified a new group of vessels from Egypt’s northern Nile region. The article outlines the pottery typology and quantification, and presents the ceramic distribution within the excavated urban area. The findings indicate changes in land use, as some residential and commercial areas were converted into dumps and cesspits. These shifts reflect political and demographic changes in ‘Akko by the late thirteenth century, during the decline of the Second Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.